Lingual braces in Barcelona
Lingual braces go on the inner face of the tooth, so nothing shows from outside, not when you speak and not in a photograph. It is the only fixed orthodontics that is genuinely invisible. It is also the most expensive, because every piece is made for you, and the tongue takes a few weeks to get used to them.
Lingual braces sit on the inner face of the teeth, the side facing the tongue. From the outside there is nothing to see: you can spend two years in treatment without it showing when you speak, when you laugh or in a photograph.
They are not ordinary braces turned around. Each bracket is manufactured for your own tooth from a scan of your mouth, because the inner surfaces differ enormously from one tooth to the next and an off-the-shelf piece would not seat properly.
That custom manufacture explains the two things that characterise this treatment: it costs more than any other fixed appliance, and several weeks pass between the scan and the fitting appointment.
It is the option for someone who does not want the treatment to show and would rather not depend on remembering to put aligners back in. At our Barcelona clinic we tell you at the first appointment whether your case can be treated from the inside, and when it cannot, which discreet alternative does solve it.
How lingual braces are fitted
It is two appointments a few weeks apart, with the laboratory building your pieces in between. This is how it goes.
Assessment and scan. X-ray, photographs and an intraoral scan. That decides whether your case can be treated from the inside, plans the movement tooth by tooth, and produces the fixed quote.
Custom manufacture. Your brackets and archwires are designed on that scan, one by one, for the inner face of each tooth. This wait is the one conventional braces do not have, so count it in if you have a date in mind.
Fitting. They are bonded all at once using a tray made for your mouth, so each bracket lands on the exact spot that was planned. It is the longest appointment of the treatment.
Getting used to them. For the first weeks the tongue rubs and you will lisp slightly. It passes, and orthodontic wax on the points that bother you plus reading aloud for a while each day both help.
Adjustments and retention. The archwire is adjusted every four to six weeks. When the braces come off the retainer goes in, which is what stops the teeth drifting back, and it is not optional.
Cleaning is explained on fitting day, because the inner face is harder to see and harder to reach: an interdental brush and a water flosser stop being optional extras.
What you gain with lingual braces
They genuinely cannot be seen. They sit on the inside, so they do not show when you speak or in photographs. They are the only truly invisible fixed appliance: ceramic braces are discreet, but they are visible.
They do not depend on you remembering. They are bonded on and work twenty-four hours a day, without the daily wear time clear aligners demand.
They are built for your mouth. Each piece is designed on a scan of your own teeth rather than picked from a range, which allows the movement to be planned very precisely.
They do not rub the lip. Any rubbing happens on the tongue rather than outside, so they do not mark the inner face of the lip the way conventional brackets do.
What to know before you decide
They cost more. They are the most expensive fixed appliance, because every piece is manufactured for you and the fitting takes longer. The figure for your case comes out of the assessment, as a fixed quote before anything starts. What goes into that quote and what is charged separately is explained on the page about lingual braces cost in Barcelona.
Your tongue has to adapt. For the first weeks you will feel rubbing and speak with a slight lisp. It passes, but it is more uncomfortable at the start than braces on the outside, and that is worth knowing beforehand.
They take more cleaning. The inner face is harder to see and harder to reach with a brush, so you have to be consistent with interdental cleaning.
They do not suit every case. If the lower teeth are very short there is not enough inner surface to bond to, and some very deep bites knock the brackets off. That shows up in the assessment, before you commit.
They do not start on the day. Between the scan and the fitting sit the weeks the laboratory needs to build your pieces.
Frequently asked questions
What is orthodontic wax for?
It is a soft paste placed over the bracket or the end of wire that rubs, so that your tongue, cheek or lip touches a smooth surface while the area recovers. With lingual braces it is used mostly in the first days and on the inner side, because the tongue keeps touching the brackets.
Apply it with the bracket dry: a pea-sized piece, softened between your fingers and pressed onto the part that bothers you. A 2024 clinical trial in teenagers with sores from their appliance compared it with an adhesive protective patch, which eased the pain a little more. If the discomfort lasts more than a few days, let us know, as the NHS recommends.
What can I eat in the first days with lingual braces, and afterwards?
The first week is the uncomfortable one: in a clinical trial with lingual and conventional braces, quality of life dipped most in that first week, and with lingual braces a tongue that is still adapting comes on top of tender teeth. In those days, foods that need hardly any chewing help, such as soups, creamed vegetables, yoghurt, omelette or fish, and small mouthfuls.
After that you go back to an almost normal diet, with the precautions the NHS lists for any fixed brace: nothing hard, crunchy or sticky, no chewing gum, and food cut up rather than bitten into. As you cannot see from the inside whether something has got caught, rinse and check with a mirror after eating.
What is self-ligating orthodontics, and is there a lingual version?
Self-ligating orthodontics uses brackets that close over the archwire with their own lid, instead of tying it in with a small elastic on each tooth; we explain it in detail on the self-ligating braces page.
Self-ligating lingual brackets exist as well: a 2023 study that compared them with conventional lingual brackets in cases without extractions found similar treatment times and results of similar quality. As on the outside, self-ligation does not shorten treatment; whether it is used depends on the system that suits your case.
How long does the lisp last with lingual braces?
It varies from one person to another, but expect it to last more than a week. In a study that recorded and analysed the speech of patients with braces on the outside and on the inside, both groups spoke less clearly on the first day; those with outer braces had recovered within a week, and those with lingual braces were still having difficulty after a month.
Today's lingual brackets are thinner than those of years ago, which has improved speech and comfort, although some people notice them far more than others. If speaking in public is part of your job, tell us at the assessment so that we choose the fitting date with that in mind.
Can I have lingual braces on the top teeth and conventional ones on the bottom?
Yes. It is a possible combination: lingual brackets on the upper teeth, which are the ones that show when you talk and smile, and brackets on the outside of the lower ones.
In a 2024 survey, patients with this combination rated comfort more highly than the other groups, and the authors suggest it for anyone who wants aesthetics and comfort at a lower cost than lingual braces on both arches. If it suits your case, we will put it to you at the assessment.
